How to Recognize A Lie

Being lied to is no fun, especially if you had no idea that you were being lied to. The fact of the matter is that not everyone is going to tell you the truth. If you pay close attention to a person's body language and the details of what they are saying, you can recognize a lie. Once you become really good at, you may end up uncovering more truth than you can handle!

Body Language and Lying

One of the telltale signs when someone is lying is where they are looking. The eyes can give an inexperienced liar away. We all know that when someone isn't looking you in the eye when they are telling you something, they are probably lying. Since this is such common knowledge, some "good liars" will stare directly in your eyes when telling a lie. If you feel that they are staring you down, this may also mean that they are lying.

If you don't know someone well it is easier for him or her to lie to you, because you might not know his or her nervous habits. Anything like twitching, tapping, fidgeting, shaking, and any otherwise nervous-like movements could signal that they are lying to you.
Maybe they are just nervous, but the question is, why.

Sometimes people will sweat, clinch their jaws tight, scratch, or pace. Any sudden change in their physical behavior could signal dishonesty. A change in the pitch of their voice or slower or faster speech than usual can indicate that they are hiding something.

The physical change is the easiest way to recognize a lie, but there are still other ways to find out if someone is telling the truth or not.

Details, Details

Listen carefully. Often when people are lying they leave out details. Ask for them. Asking questions is the best way to investigate. Pay close attention to what they say and try to determine whether or not everything adds up. Inconsistencies mean that all or part of what they are telling you is not true.

The best way to find out if they are lying is to accept their story, and remember the details of what they told you for a few days. Then, go ask them to tell you the story again. You may be surprised at how the story changes, or that they "forgot" to add a certain detail that conveniently ties their story together.

Other Signs of Dishonesty

"Don't you trust me?" Haven't we all heard that one? Answering questions with a question, changing the subject, and otherwise avoiding giving you a straight answer is a sure sign that they are hiding something. If they refuse to answer, or if they use stalling tactics like, "what do you mean" when your question is clear, they are trying to think of a quick lie to satisfy your curiosity.

Extreme defensiveness clearly means that they don't want you to know something.

Hopefully, there aren't too many "good liars" out there, and these tips will help you to recognize when someone is lying. It might take time for you to learn how to detect lies, but you will get the hang of it eventually.